1887
Rapid communication Open Access
Like 0

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted the 2019/20 WHO European Region influenza surveillance. Compared with previous 4-year averages, antigenic and genetic characterisations decreased by 17% (3,140 vs 2,601) and 24% (4,474 vs 3,403). Of subtyped influenza A viruses, 56% (26,477/47,357) were A(H1)pdm09, 44% (20,880/47,357) A(H3). Of characterised B viruses, 98% (4,585/4,679) were B/Victoria. Considerable numbers of viruses antigenically differed from northern hemisphere vaccine components. In 2020/21, maintaining influenza virological surveillance, while supporting SARS-CoV-2 surveillance is crucial.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.46.2001822
2020-11-19
2024-10-16
http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.46.2001822
Loading
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/deliver/fulltext/eurosurveillance/25/46/eurosurv-25-46-4.html?itemId=/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.46.2001822&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah

References

  1. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and World Health Organization. (WHO). FluNewsEurope. Joint ECDC-WHO/Europe weekly influenza update. Stockholm and Geneva: WHO and ECDC. [Accessed Oct 2020]. Available from: https://flunewseurope.org/
  2. Mook P, Meerhoff T, Olsen SJ, Snacken R, Adlhoch C, Pereyaslov D, et al. , Collective of the WHO European Region, European Influenza Surveillance Network. Alternating patterns of seasonal influenza activity in the WHO European Region following the 2009 pandemic, 2010-2018. Influenza Other Respir Viruses. 2020;14(2):150-61.  https://doi.org/10.1111/irv.12703  PMID: 31944604 
  3. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and WHO Regional Office for Europe. (WHO/Europe). European external quality assessment programme for influenza virus 2018. Stockholm and Copenhagen: ECDC and WHO/Europe; 2019. Available from: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/portal/files/documents/influenza-virus-external-quality-assessment-2018.pdf
  4. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Influenza virus characterisation - Summary Europe, July 2020. Stockholm: ECDC; 2020. Available from: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/influenza-virus-characterisation-summary-europe-july-2020
  5. Worldwide Influenza Centre (WIC), World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza. Report prepared for the WHO annual consultation on the composition of influenza vaccine for the Southern Hemisphere 2021. London: WIC; Sep 2020. Available from: https://www.crick.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2020-10/Crick_SH2021%20report_Full%20seasonal.pdf
  6. Woldwide Influenza Centre (WIC), World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza. Report prepared for the WHO annual consultation on the composition of influenza vaccine for the Northern Hemisphere 2019-2020. London: WIC; Feb 2019. Available from: https://www.crick.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2019-04/Crick%20VCMFeb2019%20report_toPost.pdf
  7. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Influenza virus characterisation, Summary Europe, May 2019. Stockholm: ECDC; 2019. Available from: https://ecdc.europa.eu/sites/portal/files/documents/influenza-characterisation-report-May-2019.pdf
  8. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Seasonal influenza 2019-2020. In: ECDC. Annual epidemiological report for 2019. Stockholm: ECDC; 2020. Available from: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/AER_for_2019_influenza-seasonal.pdf
  9. World Health Organization (WHO). Recommended composition of influenza virus vaccines for use in the 2021 southern hemisphere influenza season. Geneva: WHO; Sep 2020. Available from: https://www.who.int/influenza/vaccines/virus/recommendations/202009_recommendation.pdf?ua=1
  10. Rose A, Kissling E, Emborg HD, Larrauri A, McMenamin J, Pozo F, et al. , European IVE group. Interim 2019/20 influenza vaccine effectiveness: six European studies, September 2019 to January 2020. Euro Surveill. 2020;25(10):2000153.  https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.10.2000153  PMID: 32183932 
  11. Woldwide Influenza Centre (WIC), World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza. Report prepared for the WHO annual consultation on the composition of influenza vaccine for the Northern Hemisphere 2020-2021. London: WIC; Feb 2020. Available from: https://www.crick.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2020-03/Crick%20WIC%20Report%20Feb%202020.pdf
  12. Olsen SJ, Azziz-Baumgartner E, Budd AP, Brammer L, Sullivan S, Pineda RF, et al. Decreased Influenza Activity During the COVID-19 Pandemic - United States, Australia, Chile, and South Africa, 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020;69(37):1305-9.  https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6937a6  PMID: 32941415 
  13. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and WHO Regional Office for Europe (WHO/Euro). Operational considerations for influenza surveillance in the WHO European Region during COVID-19: interim guidance 2020. Stockholm and Copenhagen: ECDC and WHO/Euro; Oct 2020. Available from: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/operational-considerations-influenza-surveillance-european-region-during-covid-19#no-link
  14. World Health Organisation Western Pacific (WHO Western Pacific). Avian Influenza Weekly Update Number 760. Manila: WHO Western Pacific; Nov 2020. Available from: https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/wpro---documents/emergency/surveillance/avian-influenza/ai-20200925.pdf?sfvrsn=30d65594_76
  15. European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. (ECDC), European Union Reference Laboratory for Avian Influenza (EURL). Avian influenza overview May – August 2020. Parma and Stockholm and Legnaro: EFSA and ECDC and EURL, 2020: Available from: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/Avian-influenza-overview-May%E2%80%93August-2020.pdf
/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.46.2001822
Loading

Data & Media loading...

Submit comment
Close
Comment moderation successfully completed
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error